How can you prepare for school this year?

It’s hard to plan for anything these days and you might notice feelings of anxiety or overwhelm more often than you have before. With school back in session, your kids are likely feeling this too. School looks very different from years past, so the typical anxieties you might be used to managing have likely changed as well.

Give yourself time to adjust.

We all get used to certain routines and schedules and for a lot of families, going back to school in the fall is a part of a schedule that everyone is familiar with. This year though, you might be adjusting to virtual learning, shorter class days or weeks, smaller class sizes, etc., and those changes can bring a lot of anxiety.

Here we are, a month into the new school year, and you're going through the homework struggle. Again.

You were hoping this year would be different. You worked so hard, collaborating with your child's teacher, and finally had a good system... by April. But now it seems like it's back tracked. And it kind of feels hopeless. You wonder if your kid is every going to get their act together when it comes to doing their homework.

What do you do?

Here we are, less than a month out from the new school year, and you’re worried that you’re going to have to go through the homework struggle… all over again.

You’re hoping this year will be different. You worked so hard, collaborating with your child's teacher, and finally had a good system... by April. And now you’re worried that you’re going to start up all over again at ground zero.

But it doesn’t have to be like this! Read below for a few tips on getting your child to actually do their homework.

What do you do?

I encourage parents to have a conversation with their kids about why the homework isn’t happening. Are they stressed out about it? They wanted it to be perfect? Do they hate school or classmates or their teacher? Whatever is underneath the homework avoidance will inform your approach to it.

Prevention is key:

Try to have these conversations and come up with a plan BEFORE the homework really starts to pile up. Schedule an initial meeting with your teacher to talk through the struggles last year, and proactively come up with a plan and when you’ll be checking on it this upcoming school year.

You're child comes home from school, and you wonder if something's wrong. They're worried about going back the next day, but they won't tell you why. It's natural to wonder if your child is the victim of bullying - but why is your child keeping it from you?

Opening up is uncomfortable.

It makes us feel vulnerable. And for children who aren't sure if they're being bullied, they may not know how to put this into words... 

The ease of summer makes way, once again, for the stress, structure, and high expectations of the school year. And no matter the age of your child, the transition back to school can be difficult. So, how can you help your child prepare for and manage the stress?